Given that he has such hyperactive lawyers, is it not strange that the book has been out for over a year, but they have made no move to sue for libel? Their bluff and bluster really is quite pathetic, and I am getting bored with it.

Sadly, it still continues to work on British newspaper editors. I find it astonishing that even the Sunday Times can report so deadpan Usmanov’s ludicrous claim that he was not jailed as a criminal but as a “political prisoner”.

"Last week, Usmanov's lawyers were forced to write to the internet service provider which hosts Murray's website demanding that it take down a posting referring to Usmanov's business and personal life. In a letter his lawyers said: "Murray clearly has an axe to grind. [He] has made a number of grossly defamatory and completely unsubstantiated allegations about our client in his book Murder in Samarkand and on his website."

'Were forced' indeed, who by? And then the old ad hominem approach to rebuttal – how hackneyed is that?

Murray may indeed 'have an axe to grind'. Well what's wrong with that? The usual insidious 'he's got a personal agenda, so his points [however valid] must be ignored'. Complete irrelevant crap.

This is going back a couple of subjects. I'm looking out for an obituary of Mark Weil in the British press but haven't noticed anything. It would be good to see his life and murder acknowledged in this way; I'm sure Craig has rather a lot to do but would he consider writing an obit. for Mark?

Hi, my name is Muzaffar, i'm Uzbek and I have a comment on your views about ALisher Usmanov.

Being a BSW(social work) student and most of all, a resident of Uzbekitan, I strongly disagree with most of your points since they're all biased and even fabricated, just think about it – the whole world is just like that, i mean everything is all about business. And you don't seem to have any credible arguments or facts against Usmanov. Now, take the US for example; the war in Iraq is all about geopolitical influence and oil in the first place. And DID YOU KNOW that some of the HUGE US corporation leaders have always had ties with MAFIA, they still do, and will always influence US policies overseas, right. Chelsea for example, is now of the finest world clubs due to Russian investments. Every other UK resident wants to greet Mr. Abramamovich in person. As for our country however, we have had tremendous changes by now brought about by foreign investments and particularly due to Alisher Usmonov's policies. The situation is way better since the time you, SIR, were kicked out of this country because of your immoral behaviour with Uzbekistani prostitutes. how can you claim he is a criminal if you can't even prove his guilt, what you said above are just nothing but rumors.

You, Mr. Murray, are the one to be refered to as criminal and charged with SEXUAL DEPRAVITY or even a harrasment since you were hanging out with underage non adult females at Tashkent nightclubs, namely SKY CLUB, while you were working as a British ambassador in Uzbekistan. You organized round table with bunch of idiots whose minds you could easily manipulate with your democracy propoganda and lost your job as a result. why don't you think broadly about Central Asia from now on. P.S. life never stays the same and people like Alisher Usmanov are the ones to make a REAL DIFFERENCE, but never people like you SIR !!!!